The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-04-19
PROGRESS OF REFORM.
The Democratic Administration Doing
Good Service

Good Service.
From Washington Letter to the Near York Times
Mr. Cleveland's friends, not all of whom
are so blind as to regard all the efforts Of the
administration as perfect or successful, are
getting not a little comfort and encourage
ment out of the study of tho criticisms Of
the administration made by its opponents.
When Mr. Cleveland became President he
found all the departments filed with men
who might have been assumed to be hostile
to the Democratic party. Very few men in
any Office, high or low had not contributed
money and some had also given active per-
sonal services from year to year to keep the
Democratic party out There were few
Republicans, however, in office who were
appointed upon Democratic solicitation and
a very few Democrats also, who had man
aged to get in by the exercise of personal
influence that appeared to favor certain Re
! publicans with Democratic alliances. hn
order to gain some credit for change from
| Republican to Democratic rule and to prove
| that such change could be made without
causing business of all kinds to be thrown
into disorder, changes were made slowly
except in the postal service. In most of the
| departments the changes were made as rap
idly as possible without hindrance to public
business but not SO rapidly or so extensively
| as to give the departments a Democratic
character or to satisfy the politicians who
expected to see "a clean sweep The changes
| that have been made, the administration
| finds out from time to time, are not all that
should be made. The number of hostile men
| retained did not appear to be large, and that
| Of the clerks and heads of bureaus who were
hostile, but who thought more of their places
and salaries than they did of the chance
| openly to obstrUct the efforts of the new adj
| mlnlStratlOn, was small.
| : fIyI hoy ,Nf tIa
men who were judiciously careful not to
| appear obstructive, and who have been re-
| tanned, have found ways quietly to hinder
! the course Of administrative reform. It is
altogether likely that this will appear when
! Senator COclTells committee TO investigate
the methods of the departments meets to
| compare the reports received from the diff
| ferent divisions Of all the departments.
! When the inquiry was ordered it was not
| noticed very carefully. No one expected
| that the investigation would be pushed very
| closely. Since Mr. CockIeil sent out his
first circulars of inquiry and the heads of
departments transmitted them to their sub
ordinRtes the inquiry has come to be regard
! ed as a serious and perhaps threatening one.
To a few men who have insisted that the
government has been employing a great
many persons il excess of the needed num-
ber, it has been plain that if properly pressed
the inquiry would show in many Offices that
| employment had often been given rather to
provide places than to supply any business
| necessity: that Offices had been crowded
with people who could do nothing or would
| divide between two or ten persons the work
that could better be done by one person who
was experienced and industrious. The sus-
picion that this was the case in the record
and pension division Of the Surgeon Gene
rails office led to inquiry, with the reply
from the head that no improvement could
| be made. 1t was not until the head of the
division was removed and q new man was
put in that fifty useless people were discov-
cred, part of them dismissed, the habits of
the remaining force improved by discipline,
and a greater amount of work secured from
a small force than had been obtained before
from large one. There is reason for be-
! leving that Mr.. COckrell may find some of
| the heads of divisions answering in a way
to justify the suspicion that the divisions
over which they preside are needing course
of treatment similar to that administered in
the record and pension division of the Sur
geon Generals office The discoveries when
made may be open to reasonable criticism
that they have been delayed an unreasona-
bic time
The administration is in its third year. 1t
came in as much upon its professions of adj
ministrative reform as for any other reason
given to voters. 1t has made an effort to
prove its good faith 1t is gratifying to the
men who bear these things in mind that the
opponents of the administration are ~devot-
ing themselves to the task of endeavoring to
make the President and his administration
unpopular by frivolous or malicious attacks
upon the peculiarities of the Cabinet officers,
some of which are made, it is true, and the
most virulent and persistent of them, by
papers Democratic in profession. These
attacks were to be expected from papers
that supported the Republican candidate in
1884, directly or indirectly, and the abuse
and ridicule INDUCED in by them are I'M
needed, as their influence is not assumed to
be great outside the organized political class
or the disappointed place hunters 1t will
make little difference then, what fault they
choose to find with anything that is done or
left undone. An effort is to be made to get
the department service down to business
basis, and upon the record OF the work ac-
complished in that direction the Democrats
will no doubt rely in large measure for a
result favorable to them in the Presidential
campaign Of 1888.